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Disney Animation Studios has been firing on all cylinders the last 10 years with their animated films such as Tangled, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, and Moana. Fans were looking forward to Gigantic, a twist on Jack and the Beanstalk, which to the surprise of many was shelved last year due to creative differences. Now we have information on what’s in store for the legendary animation studio.

Paul Briggs who was head of story on Big Hero 6 and Frozen will make his directorial debut alongside Tangled animator Dean Wellins on Dragon Empire. Not much is known about the story but Disney is currently meeting with actors for various roles. Kiel Murray who wrote Cars and Cars 3 is developing the script, with Osnat Shurer (Moana) on board as a producer.

We also have some character breakdowns to share with you.

JAN-NIN: Female lead character said to be the heroine of the film. Jamie Chung has shown interest in the role, Disney fans will know her as the voice of Go Go in Big Hero 6 and the brand new series on the Disney Channel .

BOLIN: The lead male character who is expected to be comic relief, and a 900 year old mentor to Jan-Nin.

KATSU: Supporting male character not much is known regarding Katsu.

It is not known yet if Dragon Empire is taking over the release date of Gigantic held of November 25, 2020, or if it will receive a brand new release date beyond that. One thing is certain though Disney is hard at work getting this project developed and fans are ready for a new story from the studio.

Otherwise my only thought is this must be Disney's response to Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon series.

Q: Do you know if it's going to be a musical?

Skyler Shuler: Musical, no...songs to be included, yes.

Q: What do you mean by that? Something like Zootopia, Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6 etc. that have a couple of pop songs in?

Skyler Shuler: This isn’t a musical. It’s film that will have a couple of quick songs but it's not labeled a musical by Disney.

Q: New, original songs or pre-existing ones?

Skyler Shuler: Could be a mix. New ones will appear.

Q: So something like Wreck-It Ralph where both a pre-existing song (Shut Up and Drive) and an original (When Can I See You Again) were included?

Skyler Shuler: That’s a good example.

Sounds like the typical main girl = serious heroine with a dream, main guy = wisecracking smartass (or loser, depending on your perspective) plot. Tiana-Naveen, Rapunzel-Flynn, Anna-Kristoff, Judy-Nick, Moana-Maui all over again.

Is there any confirmation this is actually set in China or is it gonna be like Moana and Tangled where its a generic mashup of similar cultures? Just wondering cuz Katsu sounds more like a Japanese name.

Q: Can you say what's the setting of Dragon Empire? Is it China, Japan or a fictional place? I'm a bit confused because the names Jan-Nin and Bolin sound Chinese whereas Katsu sounds Japanese.

Skyler Shuler: I can’t speak on that as of yet.

My hunch was right; it's not going to be a musical.

Or it could be like Tangled (with 4 songs) or Coco (a song as a theme).

I asked on your behalf and this is what the guy who broke the story had to say. I think you might have stumbled onto something.

Source: https://twitter.com/Skylerhxc/status/10 ... 6057232385

^Maybe humans who turn into dragons!